Hinge



Dec. 1,1942. E. H. LQEHMAVNY HINGE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed- Dec. 26, 1940 E; H. LEHMAN HINGE Dec; 1, 1942.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 2e, 1940 m n m a 0. a

LP\\ a B a Patented Dec. 1, 1942 HINGE Edward H. Lehman, Chicago, Ill., assignor to W. H. Miner, Inc., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application December 26, 1940, Serial No. 371,686

1 Claim. (Cl. 16-150) This invention relates to hinges for swinging doors and more particularly doors of refrigerator automobile trucks.

One object of the invention is to provide a hinge for swinging doors which is adaptable, Without modification, to posts of various transverse cross sectional contour, forming the walls of the door opening to which the doors are hinged.

Amore specific object of the invention is to provide a hinge comprising pivotally connected hinge straps or leaves, one of which is flexible so that it is readily adaptable to fit against the outer surfaces of posts of various cross sectional contours, that is, posts having square corners or rounded posts or posts of other shapes.

Other objects of the invention will more clearly appear from the description and claim hereinafter following. I

In the drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a broken elevational view of a portion of one of the walls of an automobile refrigerator truck provided with swinging doors, illustrating my improvements in connection therewith. Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view, corresponding substantially to the line 2-2 of Figure 1. 2, but showing the hinge applied to a door post of different cross sectional contour. Figure 4 is an elevational view, on an enlarged scale, of the hinge shown in Figure l, detached from the door and door post. Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view, corresponding substantially to the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

In said drawings l indicates a portion of one of the walls of the body of a refrigerator automobile truck provided with a door opening H closed by hinged doors, a portion of one only of the doors being shown, said door being indicated by 12. As illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 one of the walls of the door opening is in the form of a post l3 of square transverse cross section, said post having an outer flat face or surface l4 parallel to the surface of the door 12 and an outer fiat surface l5 at right angles to the surface I 4. As shown in Figure 2, the rear portion of the surface 15 of the post is cut away at the side of the post to accommodate the wall portion l6 of the truck body, as is the usual practice. As shown in Figure 3, the door post, which Figure 3 is a View similar to Figure is indicated by l1, which corresponds to the post hinge leaf or strap A secured to the door; a flexible hinge leaf or butt B secured to the door post; and a hinge pin C connecting the leaves A and B.

The hinge leaf A is in'the form of a substantiolly fiat plate comprising an elongated straplike section 20, vertically enlarged at its inner end, as indicated at 2|. The enlarged portion 21 is provided with a plurality of spaced eye members 22, which are preferably three in number.

The eyes 22-22-22 are provided with Vertically aligned pivot pin receiving openings 23-23-23. The plate portion of the hinge leaf A is provided with the usual countersunk screw receiving openings 24-24-24.

The hinge leaf B comprises a plurality of articulated sections, six being shown in the drawings, although a, greater or lesser number may be employed. As disclosed in said drawings, with the exception of the section at the outer end of the leaf, the sections thereof are identical. The identical sections, which are five in number, are indicated by 25, and the section at the outer end of the leaf is indicated by 26. Each section 25 comprises a relatively narrow platelike portion provided at opposite sides with vertically spaced eye members, the eye members on one side being staggered with respect to the eye members on the other side. As shown most clearly in Figure 4, the eye members at the right hand side of each section 25 are fourin number and comprise relatively narrow top and bottom members 21-21, and two relatively wider intermediate members 28-28. The eye members at the left hand side of each section 25 are three in number and are indicated by 29-29-29 The eye members 29 are relatively wide, as shown, and fit within the openings between the eye members 21-28-28-21 of the adjacent section. As will be seen, the eyes 29-29-29 at the left side are arranged in the same manner and correspond to the eyes 22-22-22 of the hinge leaf A. The eye members 21-28-28-21 at the right side of each section 25 are provided with vertically aligned pivot pin receiving openings 30 and the eye members 29-29-29 at the left hand side are provided with similar vertically aligned pivot pin receiving openings, also indicated by 30.

The section 26 of the leaf B is in the form of a narrow plate having hinge eyes on the right hand side thereof only, as shown most clearly in Figure 4. The hinge eyes of the section 26 are four in number and are identical with the eyes at the right hand sides of the sections 25-2-5 and are also indicated by 21-28-28-21. The outermost, or top and bottom eyes 29-29, at the left hand side of each section 25 are slightly offset inwardly with respect to the top and bottom extremities of said section to accommodate the outermost eye members 21-21 of the adjacent section so that the top surfaces of the top eye members 2'] will be flush with each other and the underneath surfaces of the bottom eye members 2'! will also be flush with each other. Between the eye members at opposite sides of each section 25, the plate portion thereof is provided with a vertical row of countersunk screw receiving openings 3|. To the left of the eye members thereof the plate portion of the section 25 is provided with a similar row of screw receiving openings, also indicated by 3 I.

The eye members of the hinge leaf A and the eye members of the sections 25 and 25 of the hinge leaf B are all suitably reenforced by horizontal strengthening ribs or flanges, as shown.

In the complete hinge, as shown in Figure 4, the hinge eyes 22-2222 of the leaf A are engaged within the openings between the eyes 2'l-2 8-28-2l of the section 25 at the right hand end of the flexible leaf B, and the eyes of the same are connected by the pivot pin C extending through the openings of said eyes. The flexible hinge leaf B and the rigid leaf A are thus joined for pivotal or hinging movement. Each section 25 has the eyes 29-29-49, which are at the left hand side thereof, interposed between the eyes 2l-28282l of the adjacent section 25 and the extreme left hand end section 2-5 has the eyes 29-2929 thereof interposed between the eyes 2'l28282'l of the section 26. Pivot pins 3232 pivotally connect the sections 2525 to each other and the end section 26 to the left hand end section 25, each pin extending through the aligned openings of the eyes 2T-2828--2l and 29-29-29 of adjacent sections.

As will be evident, by pivotally joining or articulating the sections of the leaf B, the latter is flexibly adjustable to fit door posts of varying exterior contour.

As shown most clearly in Figures 1, 2, and 3,

the hinge leaf A is secured to the door I! and the flexible leaf B to the door post. Any suitable securing means may be used for this purpose, but screws are preferably employed, the hinge leaf A being secured by relatively heavy screws 33 extending through the openings 24 of said leaf and into the door, and the hinge leaf B being secured by somewhat lighter screws 34 extending through the openings 3| of the sections 2525--25-25-- 252'$ and into the door post.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the hinge plate B is secured to the post l3 which is of square cross section and the sections 2525 thereof adjacent the leaf A are secured to the front face of the post, and the sections 25 25 and 26 at the free end thereof secured to the side face of the post, while the intermediate section 25 ext-ends across the corner of said post.

As shown in Figure 3, when the hinge is applied to a corner post I! having a curved or rounded outer surface, the sections 252525--2525 26 of the leaf B, due to the hinged connection between the same, accommodate themselves to the curved contour of the post so that the leaf B fits snugly against the post throughout its length.

Although the hinge is preferably mounted in the manner disclosed in Figures 1 and 2 so that the leaf A hinges on the leafy B about the pivot provided by the pin C, the hinge may be mounted in such a manner that the door will swing about one of the pivots 32 of the flexible hinge plate B, if desired, by leaving the proper section or sections of the leaf B unsecured to pivot about a certain pivotal connection. For example, if securing screws of the first hinge section 25 adjacent the leaf A are not employed, thereby leaving said first section 25 unsecured, the hinge may be swung about the pivot 32 between the first and second sections 2525. In the same manner by leaving the first two sections 25 adjacent the leaf A unsecured the parts will hinge about the pivot pin 32 between the second and third sections. Similarly, by leaving the proper number of sections 25 unsecured, the hinging movement may be obtained on any selected pivot 32, so that, if found desirable, the door may be mounted to swingto a fully open position alongside the side wall of the truck body, that is, along the wall l5.

I have herein shown and described what I-now consider the preferred manner of carrying out my invention. but the same is merely illustrative and I contemplate all changes and modifications that come within the scope of the claim appended'hereto. r

I claim: 7

In a hinge for a door swingable with respect to a support, the combination with an elongated rigid hinge leaf secured to the door; of an elone gated platelike flexible hinge butt comprising a series of articulated'sections, said sections being of greater width than length, each of said secnecting the hinge leaf to said hinge butt.

EDWARD I-I. LEI-HWAN. 

